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Hiya hive foodies! At the moment we are in a transition phase of changing our diet a little. Though the whole story will be for another post, the beginning of the new year got off to a rocky start.

For the first time in 10 years, my husband had an MS flareup. Some of you might know from my earlier posts that for years we have been managing his condition through dietary and lifestyle changes.

The good news is that with a few little tweaks to his diet he got over it in less than 2 weeks. All is back to normal but it was a reminder that over the years of not having any flareups we gradually strayed off a little of the foods he actually can't eat or should only eat on rare occasions. And some of the foods that are actually very good for him he hasn't eaten for months, even years.

When it comes to MS, foods like legumes and grains should be limited to an absolute minimum. Healthy fats and proteins are what he needs more of. That’s why in the coming months we are going to try something they call a keto diet. Though I occasionally eat eggs from our chickens and geese, apart from that I stopped eating animal products a long time ago. My husband still eats fatty fish or lean meat in 2 to 3 meals a week. Which is making his transition much easier than mine.

Ever since turning to a vegan diet, we have been relying on legumes as a meat substitute… so it will be a real challenge to give these up. However, this doesn’t mean I am going to throw everything we still have in the bin. We still have some dried chickpeas, chickpea flour, and red lentil pasta laying around.

Gradually we will eat what we have left and work our way up to dishes that are free of grains (especially the ones containing gluten) and legumes. I am not saying we will not eat them ever again, but in the coming months, we will have to find our balance and see what works.

Most non-vegan keto meals are based on meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and other fat- and protein-rich foods. Furthermore, they Include lots of leafy greens, non-starchy veggies, and salads. Though the latter will be easy on a vegan diet, I will have to up my intake of avocados and a variety of nuts and seeds to meet the healthy fat and protein levels my body will need to get enough energy.

As I am learning more each day about ketosis and will experience this new way of eating myself I will keep you all posted on how it is going and whether it was a good or bad decision for our health and happiness.

FYI: I haven’t mentioned dairy as we haven’t touched any for so long now, but dairy is an absolute no-no when it comes to protecting your health and fighting chronic diseases such as autoimmune disease.

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RED LENTIL PASTA WITH LEEKS AND MUSHROOMS IN A CREAMY CASHEW SAUCE

Since this dish contains mushrooms and my hubby absolutely hates them, you may have guessed that he was out of town when I made this dish with the last package of lentil pasta we have.

I really love its flavor, but hey health is more important and we wouldn’t have it any other way than to combat disease through the power of food and lifestyle changes rather than relying on conventional medicine.

"Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2-3)

1 package of red lentil pasta (250g)
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cups leeks, chopped
3 cups mixed mushrooms, sliced (i used beech, shitake, and king oyster mushroom)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsps lemon juice
½ cup veggie stock
1 cup cashew cream (see notes how to make your own)
Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste
Pinch of dried tarragon
Nutritional yeast (optional topping)
Fresh parsley (optional topping)

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Notes: How to make cashew cream

To make cashew cream soak cashews in boiling water for about 30 minutes to soften them up. When soaked, drain the cashew and use new filtered water to blend them at high speed to make cashew cream. Use a ratio of 1 cup cashews to 1.5 cups of water.

DIRECTIONS

Saute onions in a pan for a few minutes, then add the chopped leek and cook until soft. This will take about 5 minutes. Then add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add lemon juice for an extra kick.

Meanwhile, boil water to cook the lentil pasta. Boil according to the instructions on the package. When al dente, drain and set aside.

In a separate pan, cook mushrooms until golden in vegan butter or cooking oil of your choice. You can cook them with the leek mixture too but I prefer them baked separately to create beautifully browned mushrooms that add to their flavor. Transfer the mushrooms to the leek mixture and add about ½ cup of veggie stock to the pan to get out all the mushroom cooking flavors.

Mix the leek, mushrooms, veggie stock, and 1 cup of cashew cream (see notes). Mix well and season with salt, pepper, and tarragon to taste.

Add cooked lentil pasta to a plate or bowl. Top with leek-mushroom sauce, fresh parsley (from the garden), and nutritional yeast for an extra cheesy flavor.